Well, it’s Sunday morning, i can’t do any work on my car thanks to the glorious British weather so i thought i’d do something fun and pose the question to my fellow 5 lovers; do you use your 5 in dry weather only or would you take her out in a force 9 gale?
Personally speaking i take my 5 out only when it’s dry. I only plan to use my 5 as a Summer car really, she probably only gets taken out once a week anyway during Winter/Spring etc…
I’m just curious to know what other people’s habits are with their usage of their 5? do you do high mileage in it or use it as a weekend car? do you commute in it or keep it in storage in the Winter?
My missus uses our 5 every day. Rain, shine, snow, ice or frost.
Having said that we bought the 5 cheap just to have a little fun in. We didn’t realise we would love it so much. We had thought about taking her off the road to tidy up but I dont think that will happen. She will have to be a rolling resto some time.
Even this time of year we get the roof down, stick a hat and a scarf on, and go.[H]
Every one to their own but if you love driving your car so much why put her in the garage for at least 6 months a year.[;)]
I must say that the mx5oc members seem to keep it real and get proper use out of their cars. Many years ago I was a member of the Ford RS owners club. You had to go to shows to to see any other Rs’s. Whilst I really do appreciate show cars I just think that it is a bit anorakish.
Anyway Benny you do what you think is best for your 5. Happy motoring[Y]
Mine’s a daily drive, 40ish miles a day during the week, plus a hundred or so at weekends, I like to Italian tune regularly
It’s kept in a garage though, I’ve had a roof slashed leaving it on the street overnight, and it makes it a lot easier to get out to do routine maintenance.
Mine was bought as a weekend toy so during the winter it will only get a weekly run out to keep things moving.
I dont mind driving it in the rain occasionaly (heavens opened on the trip to the National last year as im sure many will remember) but these gritted roads are a differant matter.
If i could manage with a 2 seater daily driver i would get another but with kids & grandkids i need seats so drive a Zafira.
Crikey you like to get your money’s worth Highlift i’ll give you that! wow that’s a lot of miles covered he he i can see you like driving your 5 which is good to see:)
The thing is(and i know i’ll more than likely get panned for this) is that i’m more in to actually owning my Mark 1 and cherishing it more than actually driving it. I get loads of comments from neighbours and even the postie saying nice car, it looks clean. He he that’s because i never drive it and they say why have a car if you don’t drive it and i can see they have a point i guess but you pays your money and takes your choice as they say!
I’ve probably covered no more than 600 miles in my 5 since i bought her last September and 250 miles of those are from trips to Stafford Mazda when i got the car last year!
I’m trying to keep the mileage down to under 1,000 a year if i can. She’s taxed, insured and MOT’d and always will be as long as i have her and i do adore driving in my 5 it’s just i get worried about anything happening to her, hence she stays on the drive and gets two baths and a wax a week:)
Maybe i should sell my Mark 1 and buy a Bongo instead he he:)
Rain, snow, frost, etc… mine’s my daily drive too.
If I saved it only for suny days then it wouldn’t get used!
It’s not a museum piece - I like to use it (whilst keeping it as best I can).
Jan’s is her daily drive so she has to use it come rain or shine.
She drives it much more carefully when wet after she did a 180 in bad weather a few weeks into ownership.[:O][:O]
The only time it doesn’t get used is in snow/bad ice - then she re-arranges her day and cadges a lift off me - problem is mine is a RWD too so apart from a little extra ground cleranace is probaly not much better than hers in these conditions, she doesn’t have to drive then though.
Mine is my only car - don’t often drive in week as commute by train but wouldn’t let rain put me off - the Mk3 has certainly proved grippier than my Mk1s were in the rain. I don’t mind rain - its the wet roads AFTER a period of rain where cars in front kick up that grimy water and flick it at you and you end up getting through a reservoir of screen wash every week! lol My car is looking pretty grim and dirty at the mo - I cant bear washing it in this weather though and we all know by-hand is the only way to wash 'em!
It’s for driving! But hey, diff’rent strokes for diff’rent folks and all that. As long as they’re loved it’s all good. Although I think it is cruel if they never get to see a redline.
Too true. I made the mistake of trying a fuel station jetwash last weekend. Looked clean for about 10 minutes - until it dried. Never again. Still, there is something about dirty sports cars that makes them look better. Have you seen the Gumball Rally (the 1976 film)? The AC Cobra in that looks good throughout, but it’s not until the end (after racing a Daytona along a flood canal thing?) where it is really filthy that it looks its best - purposeful and obviously used
I use mine whenever I need to! I’m a student so don’t have enough money for two cars (let alone one really!) and I really don’t use it that often. Although I am near some good country roads here, so its always very tempting to go for a good drive when I have nothing else to do (which is not as often as you are bound to accuse me of!). I also can’t help driving with the roof down most of the time, I love it!
Hi,
Mine is used every day whatever the weather, though I have access to another car and I nearly bottled it last week in all the fog and ice as I leave early for work. Also, it has to live outside (gets a plastic cover though), but this has made keeping it clean more difficult as a load of the road salt is now in the cover and gets put over the car every night! I don’t do many miles for my commute but it does involve country lanes.
Last year, during particularly bad rain, I got so much spray from a car coming in the opposite direction that I nearly dissappeared!!! - So - not ideal really. But, it is great when dry and I console myself with that fact when the weather is bad.
I bought my 2nd MK1 intended for occasional use… (weekends and the odd day during the week) but it is turning out a bit different[:P]
Every morning I have the choice… exciting corner hugging smile giving drive to work in the 5 or numb, uninvolved coast in the boat on wheels Vectra Estate.
Guess who wins more often than not. So much so that I am now looking at a Mk3.
My previous MK1 was a daily driver 30 miles per day to work and back for about 2 yrs in all weathers. Also regular 500 mile round trips to York and back to see family (love getting loose on that A66 in a 5) [6]
I agree and understand with a lot of what benny has said - the joy and pride of the ownership and keeping things pristine but my views a gradually changing.
If we lived in a hot or even salt free climate we would drive them every day. So I will just drive everyday and clean more LOL[;)]
I went over to look at what I think may well be my first '5 on Saturday. Begged a lift from one of my friends who drives a TF (it felt slightly sacriligous, but it was that or the Corsa!) so we were blasting down the M3 in sub zero conditions with the umbrella down. Had gloves on, but forgot to take a hat, so my cheeks got a bit numb until we got off the motorway and could feel the blowers again… But that’s how I intend to drive mine - roof down whenever I can possibly get away with it!
Back on topic, I’m probably going to be the really weird one who’ll actually use the car more in the winter. I’m getting it as a daily driver and intend to use it for all my journeys when I don’t need more seats, but I only live about two and a half miles from work, so in the summer I’ll probably still cycle. It’s just at this time of year it’s too cold for it!
On the other hand, I’ll probably do more driving “just for fun” in the summer, so that might outweigh the cycling!
